Interviews

Sexy, sassy and seductive, but no, she is not a model, well, not anymore! What she is though, is one of the hottest and top most Djane of the world, and someone of whom you can’t take your eye off!

I got a chance to interact with the lady i.e. DJ Mew herself, who spoke to me at length about music, fashion and of course ‘Men’!

SV: Could you please tell us our reader a bit about you! A little background!
Mew: Hi! I’m Mëw. I’m 24 yrs old and I’m a DJ from Chicago, IL.

SV: And how did music happen in life? Conscious effort or just luck?
Mew: Music has always been a major part of my life. I grew up listening to my dad’s band play, Rock from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. When he wasn’t playing he was running sound. I was also in my school’s band for 7 years, which focused more on ‘program music’, this is where I got most of my in-depth music education that I still use today. As I got older I developed a love for electronic music, which lead to me wanting to mix and produce tracks of my own.

SV: What all festivals and major events have you been part of? How has been the experience?
Mew: My first festival ever was the Ever After Music Festival last year in Canada. It was the festival’s first year and it was amazing to be a part of that. The feeling you get when you are on the opposite side of the stage for the first time is just indescribable. I’ve also performed at many clubs, fashion shows, on major radio stations and Sirius XM.

SV: How did you manage to get into such big events so early in your career?
Mew: I have an amazing team by my side and they’re working every day answering calls and emails and pitching me to different clubs and festivals. There is no such thing as a solo act. Everyone needs a good team.
SV: What all genres do you play? Do you produce too?
Mew: I can mix any genre, but I mostly focus on Electro House, Bounce, and some Progressive House. That’s just the direction my style has naturally graduated towards over the years. I used to be more pop/top 40 and while I still love that, bouncy beats are where my heart is at. As far as production, I haven’t released anything yet, but I’m working on a few tracks I hope to release before the end of 2016.

SV: What was the feeling like in the stomach, when you were getting on stage for your first gig?
Mew: A mixture of anxiety and excitement. I remember being so nervous that my hands were shaking and you could hear it in the record when I scratched in. It was at a small bar outside of Chicago. It was really a place where people just went to drink, play pool, and watch the hockey game if there was one that day. No one ever danced and there was no dance floor. I’m really thankful I started there. I was so nervous, but it was the perfect place to practice being in front of a crowd for the first time. I probably would have had a panic attack if I was just thrown into a huge club out of nowhere.

SV: Have you ever gotten stuck on the stage? If yes, what happened and what did you do?
Mew: I’ve never been stuck on stage. People are usually very professional and have things running smoothly at my shows.

SV: You have absolutely heart­breaking looks, why not be a model… why a DJ?
Mew: I actually modeled before I was ever a DJ. I’ve walked runways, modeled for clothing companies, posed for magazines and have been an ambassador for many brands, but music is where my heart is at. It’s what I love and what makes me happy. I still model/promote brands I like all the time. I just don’t seek them out anymore.

SV: Though it’s not related to music, but I need to ask you about what is your style quotient? What are you most comfortable in?
Mew: I’m almost always in heels. I just feel girly in them. I know a lot of female DJ’s don’t wear heels to the club if they’re performing because they’re hard to jump in, but even then I’m usually in small ones. I just can’t part with them.

SV: What drives you on stage?
Mew: The crowd. I feed on their energy and they feed on mine. It’s really a beautiful connection.

SV: Your take on www.stylerug.net
Mew: I think it’s a great men’s fashion site, and it’s awesome that it touches on entertainment, travel, and other categories too.

QuickFire:
Birthplace: Merrillville, Indiana, but I grew up in Hobart Indiana.
Current location: Chicago, Illinois.
Measurements as of now: 30” 25” 33”
­I think my best physical feature is: Eyes

­Men say my best physical feature is: They’re always different.
­I would have sex with a guy on the first date, only if: Never, I’m a prude 🙂
­Tattoos and what they mean: I have two. On on my side which is my favorite Bible verse Romans 6:23, and one on my right hand which is my favorite ballad, My Heart Will Go On by Céline Dion.
– Sexiest woman ever, and why: I could never pick just one. I have too many, but what I think makes a woman sexy is confidence, kindness, and class.
­My best trait is: My heart. I honestly love everyone. The world needs more love.
­My worst habit is: Sleeping till late.
­The key to my heart is: Music and food. For real! 😉
­Compliment me on: My skills.
­Pet name for my boobs: Wait, girls actually name them?
­Most important rule or rules of bedroom etiquette: If I want to sleep then let me sleep, believe me; you’ll know if I don’t want to sleep.
The ­physical feature I like to show off: My stomach. I love wearing crop tops in the summer.
­The sexiest outfit I will wear in public: Shorts, a crop top, and heels.
­The sexiest thing I will wear in the bedroom: Pretty much whatever my man likes.
­A superficial thing I am attracted to: Nice cars.

­My favorite physical feature on a man: Chest/shoulders/arms. I need to feel safe in them.
­My favorite trait in a man: When a man has his life together. Everything doesn’t have to be perfect, he just needs to know what he wants out of life and have a plan to get there. Also, a man that treats his woman like a princess! I love when I go out and I see a guy getting the car for his girl or pulling out her chair for her at dinner. It’s very respectable.
­A man will impress me if: He’s a gentleman and genuine.
­A man will turn me on if: He’s cheap.
­A man will disappoint me if: He goes back on his word. Your word should always be truth.
­The simplest thing you can do to make me happy is: Anything that shows you were thinking about me.
­I will not even give you a second look if: You’re rude or disrespectful.
­Something stupid men do or say when they first meet me: Guys find out I’m a DJ and immediately will start telling me how much they love DJ’s and electronic music. I’ll ask them who they’re top 5 favorite DJ’s are and they can’t even name 2. It’s very unattractive and shows you’re a liar.
­I will sleep with you when: I feel like we’ve reached that level.
­I will never sleep with you if: You’re not my boyfriend.
­Don’t you dare: Wake me up if you didn’t bring me coffee.

­The best date I ever had was: A boyfriend of mine once took me to Wisconsin dells for the weekend. It was an indoor waterpark resort. Water slides during the day and hot tubbing outside at night, and it was snowing which made it even cooler.
­I am the ideal woman because: I’m not. I’m extremely difficult to date, but at least I know it.
­I am not the ideal woman because: My schedule is very demanding and my work will almost always come before my man.
­I am the best in the world at: Sleeping. Sometimes I’ll be up for 30 hours straight and when I finally do get to sleep I’ll sleep for like 14 hours.
­I need a man who will: Trust me 100%. Trust is so important in a relationship. Especially when your girlfriend, is on the other side of the world without you.
­If you come to my house, don’t criticize: How messy my bedroom is. There are clothes everywhere.
­The last movie that made me laugh: Deadpool
­The last movie that made me cry: The Titanic and the first The Hunger Games when Peta is willing to eat the poison berries so Katniss can win the game and live.
­My philosophy of love: It’s not something you try to find, it’s something that finds you.
­My philosophy of life: Be driven. Work for what you want, no one is going to hand it to you.

PS: The article was originally published last year!

Who would have thought that a business graduate from Kerala with an ACCA affiliation from London in Finance would end up being in the fashion industry?

But, as they say- never say never, and that is exactly what Riyas K the brain behind bespoke brand ‘Stylior’ did.

A young mind, with a decade’s experience of associations with major fashion brands and retailers in Dubai, to fall back on, has been instrumental in carving the image of ‘Stylior’ as a unique bespoke brand.

We got a chance to talk to him at length recently… take a read!

SV: For those who do not know you, please share something about you.
RK: My name is Riyas, I am born and raised in Kerala. After completing my education, I moved to Dubai to explore career opportunities and started working as a Financial Analyst. Later, I shifted to fashion brand management and merchandising, which got me working with renowned brands like Paul Smith, Lacoste, Hackett London, and Ralph Lauren. In late 2016, I moved to Mumbai and started my own venture – STYLIOR.

SV: A business graduate who went ahead for further education in finance, but eventually landed up in the fashion market. How did that happen?
RK: I started my career in finance, but for the fashion business. The international work culture allows cross-functionality to improve productivity, so it’s easy to break the barriers and discover the potentials outside your areas.

The creativity and dynamism in fashion management made me explore the field and that is how I landed in Fashion management. To conclude I would say, you need to keep exploring to find out what is beyond your comfort zone, as there might be something more interesting to make your life more fun.

SV: What was/is the goal behind the brand? The ultimate target!
RK: The goal behind building the brand Stylior is to take the traditional art of bespoke tailoring to all aspiring men. It’s the only way to create individual styles and unique outfits for you. We will use physical, as well as, digital channels to reach out to our clients.

We are creating the brand, which provides the best quality and wide variety of fabric options, the finest craftsmanship and curated experience to ensure the best customer experience.

SV: Let’s talk a bit about the overall collection of Stylior. Tell us about the design theories, materials that you guys work with and what kind of research your team does, to deliver, as per the markets real demand.
RK: Since our concept is bespoke, the scope of design and styles are endless. We put a lot of effort in sourcing the finest fabrics in all possible combination of patterns, quality and prices to make it possible to go bespoke for any budget. We are keen on informing our customers about the possibilities of going bespoke through our marketing communications, as well as, in-store branding. Creating awareness about fabrics, style elements, and craftsmanship is one of the important things we always do, as it will help the customers to make some great selections.

We keep exploring the new trends in fabric patterns & stitching standards to ensure we provide the best to our customers.

SV: Indian cotton is considered as one of the best in the world, but your brand is more into Egyptian cotton. What are the characteristic differences between the two?\
RK: There is no second opinion about the quality of Indian cotton. However, the Egyptian cotton is known for its fineness. This cotton can create long and thin staples, making it possible to produce higher count fabrics. The fineness of a fabric is defined by its thread count in a square inch area, higher the count, higher is the sheen and fineness. There are other cotton breeds as well, like Sea Island, which give even longer staples. Indian cotton is used in most of the casual ranges and other apparel sections.

SV: Talk us through the Bangalore store. What all do you offer here and what kind of brainstorming did you have to do to launch it successfully.

RK: When we decided to open a store, our only goal was/is to give the customers best of our services. As this is our first store, we did an extensive research on how the store should look like considering it is in a mall.

Our first task was to hire experienced staff, to offer the services we always wanted to provide to our clients.We are also committed to launching new collections every 2-3 months. We even provide home visits of our stylist to our busy customers who cannot visit the store where they can book an appointment on our website www.stylior.com or can call us for the same.

SV: What do you think are the essentials to succeed as a men’s fashion brand in an Indian retail market, which still seems to be raw, yet, full of potentials?
RK: The success of any brand is the loyalty it has towards its customers. A brand should give the best to its customers and keep creating new stories and collections.

Communication with the customers and understanding their stories plays a key role in building a good name for the brand. However, the price point is also a major concern in India. The mantra to success is to create unique stories in the exciting collections and connect it with the customers.

SV: Having said that, Indian retail market definitely seems to be on the rise. What do you think are the reasons behind that?
RK: The main reason for the rise is shifting towards organized retailing from the unorganized market. Rise in the number of malls and designated retailing high streets, the flow of international brands and government policies have been contributing in creating this shift. We can also notice the growth in the income of middle-class segment and young age brackets who have a policy of living life to the fullest rather than the saving mentality of the previous generation.

SV: Coming back to the Stylior, I do believe that you guys have a plan to open a lot more store in the future. Tell us something about that plan.
RK: Yes, we have plans to widen our physical reach to maximum locations in India via different models of retail concepts. We believe the combination of technology and traditional methods is what we need in the modern age retail.

So, our stores will have characteristics of a hybrid in-store e-commerce with more concentration on proving the best customer experience with the latest technologies.

SV: What kind of role do you think the Indian market will play in your growth as a brand, and as a business plan?
RK: In next 30 years no other market will grow like India, we have huge plans and expectations around upcoming cities in India. There will be more connectivity between places, which will enable people to dream big and achieve more without moving to metros.

The young generation of India is more aspiring and willing to take new challenges, which means we will see a rise in growth in India. All this gives us a sense of opportunity, which is clearly visible in our business plan for next few years.

When Varun Gupta, a computer engineer from Purdue University, USA and an MBA from Columbia University, New York decided to expand his expertise beyond his family business Kent RO Systems Ltd, he came up with the idea of Clicktable.

Clicktable helps diner to find great restaurants and make reservations just at a click! Also, the diner has an option to avail amazing offers and deals offered by restaurants.

We got a chance to interact with the man himself about his business module, its offerings and much more.

Take a read.

SV: Brief us about Clicktable with details including Founding Year, Business Model & Idea Behind. 
VG: Clicktable is a mobile app cum website that allows diners to make hassle free real-time table reservations at their favourite restaurants. It also brings to diners the best offers, amazing deals and exciting events at the best restaurants in town.

Apart from the consumer-facing mobile apps and website, there is a restaurant facing side also called the Empower App. The Empower application is targeted towards casual and fine dining restaurants and it streamlines management of various front desk tasks like reservations, waitlists, guest data and table management, and promotion of events & offers.

Both products work on both desktop and mobile across different operating systems.

Business Model

Consumers don’t pay anything to make reservations through our platform but we charge restaurants to use our software and other services.

SV: When and How it came into existence?
VG: I was trying to get a reservation at an award-winning restaurant in Delhi for quite some time but all my attempts were unsuccessful. I wondered, why isn’t there an online system which shows table availability to prospective diners to ease the process of making reservations at restaurants. Having spent considerable time in the US and experiencing such portals over there, I thought that this should be good idea for the Indian market and should have an immense potential, given the facts that Indian diners are spending more time on their smartphones than before and the restaurant industry is growing at a healthy rate.

Although I studied computer engineering, I had lost touch of hands-on programming as I was involved in a non-IT related role in my family business – KENT RO Systems Ltd. for last 10 years.  Therefore, I created a small technology team to carry out POCs before we hired the full team for product development. Simultaneously, I also reached out to many restaurants in order to understand their acceptance for a table and reservation management software. The outcomes from the survey helped us to fine-tune our offerings in the software.

Thereafter, we spent almost six months to develop the restaurant facing software that allows restaurants to manage tables, reservations, customer data and events & offers. We named it “Empower” because by using the software, a restaurant is empowered to offer better customer experience to its diners.

We spent roughly a year in selling the Empower app to restaurants in Delhi NCR and simultaneously developed our consumer facing website and mobile apps. Once a threshold number of restaurants were using the Empower app in Delhi NCR, we launched our consumer facing website and apps. We also started operations in Bengaluru and Mumbai subsequently.

SV: What prompted you to start Clicktable with many being already in the market?
VG: Before plunging in this venture, we analyzed that competitor brands were offering table reservation service but they were using a call-centre based solution for confirming such reservations. Also, both did not offer any software solution to restaurants to manage reservations at the restaurant end. Hence, it was a completely one sided offering with virtually no focus on solving restaurant related issues.

SV: What are the unique key points of your company?
VG: –  Real-time confirmation of reservations for diners

–  We only allow actual diners to post reviews on our platform

–  CRM solution for restaurants to manage reservations, waitlists and guest data

–  Out of the box functionality for promotion of events & offers by restaurants to diners

SV: How are you different from the existing competitors?
VG: We provide a seamless experience for table reservations to diners. Because our consumer website and apps are integrated with the piece of another software that runs at the restaurant, we always have the real-time table availability and hence, the reservations are confirmed in real-time. We have completely bypassed the call-center model in our operations.

Also, another thing that makes us very different from all the competition is that we allow only actual diners to review restaurants on our platform. This prevents bloggers and spammers from creating artificial ratings of restaurants like on similar platforms.

SV: What is the funding status and monetization model for your business?

VG: It is self-funded.

SV: What challenges are you facing in running your business?
VG: The biggest challenge was the difference between expectations and reality. I think many start-ups go through this and we were no different. We build this product after gathering information from 250+ restaurants and we internally believed that it’s a well thought-of product.

But when we launched the restaurant facing app, Empower, in the market, we were taken aback by the resistance shown by the restaurants to implement such a product. They were just not ready to make a paradigm shift from manually managing their reservations, waitlist, guest data, etcand move to a cloud based product. We quickly realized that dedicated training to their staff mitigated most of their apprehensions and thus we started providing unlimited free on-field training as part of our sign-up process. In fact, unlimited free training is a major USP for us now.

Also, early we assumed that real-time confirmation of reservations would be enough to generate enough traction for reservations but after launching our consumer website, we soon realized that Indian diners are mostly value driven and offers/deals is their highest priority while making reservations. We quickly had to rework our product to ensure that deals and offers are more prominent on our website and app.

SV: How has been the consumer response so far?
VG: Users, both restaurants, and diners, see value in our products.The restaurant user base is diversified in terms of product usage. Not many restaurants use all available modules; they cherry-pick what suits their needs.But we so have many restaurants who swear by our product as the Empower App has eased front desk operations significantly in these restaurants.

Consumer website and apps are fairly new in the market but we are getting healthy response from diners on it.

SV: What are the traction details (like users, app downloads & other achievements of the company)?
VG: Our consumer website has been up and running since last three months. As of now, we get roughly 100,000 visitors on our website every month.

We recently (last week)launched our mobile apps and are hopeful that we will see more traffic across platforms.

SV: How do you look at expansion?
VG: We started out of Delhi NCR. Today we have roughly 850 restaurants on our platform. We have been successful in tapping standalone restaurants and now our focus has shifted on chains and 4/5 star hotels.

We also started operations in Bangalore and Mumbai few months back. It still early days in those markets but we have almost 150 restaurants in above two cities on our platform.

We are also planning to start operations in Pune and Hyderabad soon.

SV: What are your marketing plans?
VG: We currently are marketing our website and app only through the digital medium. Investment in radio and OOH media is also in the pipeline.

Having received her earlier education in the field of Economics, Chef Pallavi Nigam Sahay, with a happy accident, decided to switch careers to become a chef.

And in no time; literally, Pallavi has shot more than 35 recipe videos with prestigious YouTube channels like Sanjeev Kapoor Khazana and leading lifestyle channel Food Food India. She has also published more than 50 articles and shot over 30 recipe videos for the Times of Oman as their Recipe Developer & Food Columnist. Chef Pallavi has also been actively involved as a consultant chef with a leading restaurant group in Muscat (Oman) and has conceptualized the establishment of a multi-cuisine fine dining restaurant which is due to open soon.

We got a chance to interact with this lady of immense talent, about food and her life. Here are the excerpts.

SV: Why did you decide to become a chef? What other back-of-the-house positions have you previously held?
PNS: Since childhood I have always loved cooking and never shied away from experimenting in the kitchen. It was this constant urge to learn more and more about the culinary world that helped me to switch careers from being an Economist to a Chef.

When you’re in this business you start right at the bottom of the pyramid, there were days when I used to just gouge out the eye of tomatoes and do extensive store pickups, but then that’s how you learn and progress to be a chef.

SV: Did you go to culinary school? What credentials did you earn through your culinary studies?
PNS: I went to a culinary school in Italy called ICIF, where I completed my culinary diploma course.

SV: What did Chef Pallavi Nigam Sahay, like the best and the last about the educational experience?
PNS: Educational experience gave me answers to a lot of my very basic questions about cooking, what I liked the best was clearly understanding the technicalities of the subject. Once you grasp these concepts you can successfully create your own recipes. This is especially helpful in bakery. What I liked least was extensive clean ups and setting up mise en place after the practical class of 4 hours and lecture of 3 hours.

SV: What’s your philosophy when it comes to food?
PNS: Keep it simple.

SV: What inspires you? How do you come up with ideas for the dishes?
PNs: A desire to become better and better at my work inspires me the most. Well mostly Ideas are a result of the never-ending demand for new recipes resulting in a lot of research across cuisines. My focus is on modifying the basic recipes in order to suit the modern Indian Palate.

SV: And what is the favorite dish of Chef Pallavi Nigam Sahay on her own menu and why?
PNS: Spaghetti Aglio Olio, it’s amazing how few simple ingredients can create such wonderful taste.

SV: Do you have any vivid or memorable food experiences that impacted on you as a child or as a young chef?
PNS: My mom is a superb cook, whatever she cooks is always an experience for all of us, so I think that had a big impact on my mind

SV: What do you know about or think of food bloggers?
PNs: I think they are doing an amazing job, it’s because of them the food scene in India is changing, and people are becoming more aware about international food, ingredients, recipes etc. I also think because of bloggers, restaurants are becoming more careful towards their customers and the food they serve because they don’t want a bad review.

SV: Is there a particular dish you crave for when you’re sick?
PNS: Yes, my Moms Moong-Dal Khichdi

SV: Do you have any tips for budding chefs?
PNS: Please don’t get lost in Fusion; sometimes it can create big confusion.

While the unorganized sector i.e. your local dhobi, still rules the roost, organized players with laundry service at home are slowly making inroads into the industry.

Dhobilite, with its Android based application and website provides end-to-end solution for all your laundry needs from placing order, tracking order, rate list, payment solutions & integration with PayTm, history, complaints, rating, referral and coupons. Dhobilite, a start-up, not only provide end-to-end solutions to its customers for laundry service at home, but also to vendors it is associated with. Everything is at one place.

I got a chance to talk to Nishant Tripathi and Abhishek Kumar, Co-Founders of Dhobilite, about their business venture and much more!

SV: Could you please throw some light on your company and how your educational background has supported it to reach to the level it has?
DL: Dhobilite provides end to end solution for cleaning industry and technology is an enabler for us. We use technology to bring professionalism in our services. We both are engineers and being an engineer, we have a natural tendency to solve every problem with the use of technology. Also previously we have worked with large systems in big organizations, therefore, all of that experience has been put together to develop an end to end solution, which can be used by both vendors and customers.

SV: Starting your own venture at an early age like you did…. was that always the vision or an opportunity on which you capitalized?
DL: We would say that it was a vision to provide professional solution for day to day chores of people. While working towards it, we realized that laundry sector has huge untapped opportunity because this sector was highly unorganized.

SV: Do share the story behind the conceptualization of your startup and its work ethics.
DL: It started sometime in the beginning of 2011, when we both met at a wedding of a common friend, the discussion started about the lack of professionalism in consumers services in India, from then onwards we thought that laundry is one area which is a day to day need, but this sector is largely unorganized, so, we chalked out a plan and started to work on it to provide laundry as a professional service.

Our work ethic is based on “Quality.” We strive to maintain best quality and best experience for our consumer and in order to achieve that we constantly evolve our process to make sure that our commitment to customer is met every time.

SV: What kind of role as per you direct consumers play in making sure that a business plan becomes successful?
DL: It is very simple laundry is a daily necessity and along with that doing laundry takes a lot of time as it is a cumbersome process and we believe that doing laundry is not actually anyone’s hobby. Therefore, we give a proposition to the customer that why spend your precious time in doing something which is not so nice to do, leave all the hassles of doing laundry to us.

Now, speaking statistically according to KPMG study for period 2007-2012 laundry industry in India was estimated to be INR 5200 Cr ($800 Mn) and unorganized sector to be around 2,00,000 Cr ($31 Bn). Therefore, this sector has a huge potential for growth.

SV: What has been the best memory so far from the entrepreneurial journey?
DL: DhobiLite’s first order: On the day of launch we distributed a few pamphlets and then we were waiting for orders to come, I was not at workshop and after every 15-20 minutes I was checking it with Abhishek. And when we got our first order it brought a big smile on our face and to add to our joy, when that order was delivered we got a call back from customer and they appreciated our services like anything. This is best memory of our journey and we just can’t forget that moment when we delivered our first laundry service at home.

SV: What would you refer to as your source of inspiration that keeps you moving ahead in life?
DL: We want to perform better tomorrow than we were doing yesterday. In quest for this goal we are always thinking on how we can improve on our existing processes and how we can make sure that DhobiLite as a company is always evolving.
SV: What are the tips you would give to budding entrepreneurs to be able to succeed in Indian startup ecosystem?
DL: If you believe in your idea and if you feel that the users of your idea are appreciating your product then stick to it no matter what others say because perseverance is the key and don’t give up too soon. Who would have thought that an idea like laundry service at home could succeed. But we kept at it and are aiming big.

SV: What were (are) the challenges faced by you during your entrepreneurial journey?
DL: Well this could be a long long list J. From setting up our own workshop to managing blue collar employees to uncertainties as to how market will respond to our idea. And to top it all managing our families, we can safely say that we have found out a solution to all issues except “managing family” :).

SV: What would be your business ethics as per you?
DL: Transparency: Be it in communication internally within the company, or with the customers. We believe that if communication is clear and precise than, most of the issues could be resolved with very less hassles.

SV: What’s next in store for you?
DL: We have a vision to be present pan India and naturally to achieve that we want to expand to new areas starting with metro cities in India to take laundry service at home to a whole new level. Our mode of expansion will be mix of collaboration with existing vendors at some places and going full stack on our own at others. We have started this by commencing our operations in Gurgaon this year.

Brainchild of IIT and IIM graduates; Niraj Taksande, Raghavendra Bhushan Karn and Jigar Vora, Express Bike Works is a ‘first-of-its-kind’ concept in India, which has created a disruption in the two wheeler service industry.

Express Bike Works is an automated bike wash machine, which is the fastest in the world and washes a bike in 2 mins (doesn’t happen anywhere in the world,) and has a record of washing over 230 bikes in under 10 hours. This machine is made in India… designed, developed and manufactured by three passionate bikers, who realized the value of time and service, which was lacking in the bike servicing industry in India.

I got a chance to interact with Niraj Taksande, Co-Founder of EBW to get more insights about their venture!

SV: Could you please throw some light on your company and how your educational background has supported it to reach to the level it has?
NT: Express Bike Works believes in giving bikers an exceptional bike care experience, which is not prevalent in the conventional two-wheeler service industry. Conventionally, when the bike is sent to a local garage for washing and servicing, they would keep the bike there for the day and pick up only by evening. While at EBW we want bikers to come, get the job done and leave without wasting their time. And, we have been successful in creating the fastest bike wash machine in the world.

The machine is capable of washing even the dirtiest of motorcycle within 2-5 minutes. We have met the record of washing over 230 bikes in less than 10 hours with our machine at one of the largest motorcycle OEM’s service centre.

Since I am mechanical engineer and a management graduate with keen interest in corporate strategy, my focus has been on adding dimension to the business through smart decisions and technological breakthrough. Jigar and Bhushan have been best buddies and with our IIT and IIM background along with passion to ride bikes, we came up with India’s first and fastest automatic motorcycle wash machine in 2013.

SV: Starting your own venture at an early age like you did…. was that always the vision or an opportunity on which you capitalized?

NT: Among the three of us, one thing that bonded us together was the love for bikes and going for long bike rides. We faced similar issues when it came to servicing and our discussions would be around the possible changes that could be made in the industry. So, we thought of creating this machine, which would be a breakthrough in the bike wash industry, benefitting both the rider and the society.

SV: Do share the story behind the conceptualization of your startup and its work ethics. It does seem like a very different idea for today’s world!
NT: We have spent a lot of our time riding bikes and wasting our time getting them cleaned. A roadside bike wash centre would take almost an hour and the unprofessional user experience started becoming a pain point for us. Parking these issues in our heads, we started conceptualizing a solution that we wanted to be leagues ahead. And so was born the concept of Express Bike Works. And yes we are different in lot many ways.

1. We take only 2-5 minutes to wash and service the bike – do not keep our customers waiting whereas local garages take more than half a day to do the same job.
2. Strong IT backend – With intelligent systems like cloud based billing and remote access of the machine & system, the stores are self-reliant.
3. We use 10 litres of water per bike wash and recycle it whereas, conventional bike wash requires 50-60 litres of water which gets wasted.
4. The quality of service delivered remains consistent throughout the day compared to a manual wash which degrade as the day advances.
5. We offer a health conducive and easy work environment to our employees at the station whereas men working at the local garages go through a lot of physical labour to do the same job
6. We use cloud based technology for central management which sets us apart from the rest in the business

SV: What kind of role, as per you, direct consumers play in making sure that a business plan becomes successful?
NT: In today’s world, time is the only currency which is crucial for all of us. And consumers who understand this are the ones who give significant importance to the time taken for the delivery of a product or service along with value for money that it has to offer.

So, typically if we are offering a service in 2-5 minutes time, which would generally take half a day to deliver through conventional methods, then such satisfied consumers will definitely make our business plan successful.

SV: What has been the best memory so far from the entrepreneurial journey?
NT: The most vivid of our memories is from one of the most turbulent times during our initial days. The concept being new, market testing was giving us a nightmare. Through the long waiting hours outside an OEM’s service center to pitch our idea, our perseverance was brutally tested. Through months of free trials and product iterations, we worked with conviction and are able to see this day. Our conviction and perseverance for Express Bike Works come from those times.

SV: What would you refer to as your source of inspiration that keeps you moving ahead in life?
NT: I believe that If Akio Morita, along with a handful of engineers working in a war devastated building can create Sony, then nothing should stop us from creating and contributing towards technology & service.

Success stories of such people who have been pioneers in technology and because of whom brands have a legacy along with worldwide acceptance and recognition inspire us to keep moving ahead in life.

SV: What are the tips you would give to budding entrepreneurs to be able to succeed in Indian startup ecosystem?
NT: Stay focused and be patient. The startup ecosystem is India is still in the growth stage and hence, in the initial stages a budding entrepreneur might have to face a lot of challenges. Sometimes getting the required permissions, approvals, licenses and patents itself can also be a testing activity. Having said that, it is very crucial, that one does not lose hope and give up on the vision easily.

SV: What were (are) the challenges faced by you during your entrepreneurial journey?
NT: As the machine is completely designed and developed in-house, the initial challenge was to provide perfection to our core product followed by streamlining SOPs of the services on offer. This took much of our time and effort. Challenges we are currently working on is to induce a behavioural change in our customers as far as service cycle is concerned. Indian motorcyclists, at large, tend to postpone critical care for their ride which ultimately puts to risk life and property.

SV: What do you think is the next big step for your brand?
NT: We are on an expansion mode and are spreading within India and have launched 16 outlets since inception for Express Bike Works. We are also expanding in international markets. With our association with IOCL, BPCL & HPCL, we have been able to reach out to the bikers who come to their petrol pumps for fuel and servicing. Our target is to have close to 100 stores by end of 2017.

If in the last 5 years, there is one model from India that has truly touched sky high success, it has to be – Bhumika Arora. A girl from a small village of Haryana, today Bhumika Arora, is a prominent face at the global fashion scenes. Such has been her growth in the last five years that she is often referred as  – India’s best ever super model.

Stylerug interviewed in during her initial days and we just thought our readers might like to know her story- from the beginning. Hence, revisiting this interview for you mad hats!

Take a read!

Her first kick-off with modeling was an accident but now it has become her passion. She stands at 5’11, has an alluring pout and is dedicated to be a super model; Bhumika Arora, is fast catching up the eyes of the ones who matter.

We caught up with the Girl from Haryana and took some layers-off to know her better…

SR- Talk us through your background in brief.
BA- I hail from Haryana and am a BBA graduate. Coming from a small village I have had my share of difficulties combating with the metro cities life. When I was doing my BBA in Chandigarh, that’s where I learnt how to make yourself visible in public, and whatever little was lacking I always took it as a challenge to improve and march ahead.

SR- Becoming a model was a planned move?
BA- I don’t know! I mean, there was definitely a liking towards it, or you could say a dream but this was never the aim. There were enough of people who used to put in the picture that I look like a model but I never really tried for it and after BBA I enrolled for MBA. However, once I was looking for a friend on Facebook and by mistake met a photographer who literally pushed to me to come to Delhi for a test shoot, and that is how I begun my modeling career. I guess we all end up being where we are destined to be, isn’t it?

SR- What was your first assignment and how was the experience?
BA- Don’t even ask! I worked with Audi for seven days, which was physically a very daunting task. I hardly knew anyone and felt so out of place. But, after couple of days I started talking to few co-models and ended up being cool friends with few of them. But, then work wise not something I would cherish.

SR- There are not many models in India, who are as tall as you. Does it give you any distinct advantage?
BA- Umm you can say that. I do believe that height is my biggest asset and it surely contributes in the fashion industry.

SR- Indian audiences normally like the models that has peeping curves. Does you lean look play spoilsport in fetching work?
BA- At times yes, but then that was primarily the scene in late 90’s and may be early 2000. Indian fashion industry has fast evolved and lean looks, which is the trade mark of global fashion is is being sought after now.

SR- Who are the designers you have worked so far with?
BA- Well, luckily in the short span of time the list has been good and I hope it increases further with the same speed. Varun Sardana, Charu Parashar, Abdul Haldar, Pratima Pandey, Pankaj Arora, Aslam Khan and Nitya Bajaj are few of the names I have worked with.

SR- Who are the designers you admire the most?
BA- Aah that’s a difficult one! But if I have to take one name then I would say Rohit Bal for sure, he is like a living legend in Indian Fashion Industry and have made us all proud at the International forum too.

SR- Do you think that it’s easy for girls to make their mark in this field, compared to guys?
BA- I don’t think so. If you have the talent and the ability then there is nothing, which can hold you back. There is equal opportunity for male and female models both, and ultimately it’s on you how you grab your chances.

SR- How do you react when guys chase you?
BA- I don’t like any one running after me. I like my own space and appreciate if people leave me within my territory and don’t act intriguing. But, if someone tries to poke me, then I make sure that I give it back with interest.

SK- What kind of men does Bhumika like?
BA- Decent! I like men who are tall, strong and have good personality. The guy surely has to have good sense of humour and rest all depends on how things click with the person.

SR- And what are your future plans?
BA- Unlike other fashion models I don’t aspire to get into acting. I am here to be a super model and that’s the only thing I see happening to me in the future.

None would argue if I said, that Tarun Khiwal is one of his kind and is probably one of the legendary icons when it comes to photography in India and at international level. A soft spoken, reserve and beholder of intellectual looks (thanks to the engineering days I assume), Tarun started his journey with lenses in 1989, when very few in India knew what the word fashion actually meant.

Over two decades in the industry and the name just keeps growing. We caught-up recently with the man himself and talked at length about his work..err..passion with colors, lenses and clicks…

Here are the excerpts…

SR- Take us through your transition from being an engineer to a photographer!

TK- A few months into my job as a design engineer at West India Power Equipment, I realized that I needed to pursue something that I love and that’s when I decided to take up photography full time and have not looked back since.

During my initial days, which were way back in 1989, there was no Internet, finding information was difficult; there were no photography magazines. The only way one could learn was hands on. I would shoot, process the film, make prints and then make notes before I went back to shooting again.

SR- You never went for any formal training in photography. How difficult or easy was it to start it off?

TK- When I started off, even getting an assistantship opportunity was very difficult. Finding the photographer’s contact details in yellow pages, getting in touch with them (which was through written mails or the telephone landline), to finally convincing them to take you as an assistant was a long as well as consuming process. When I moved to Delhi in 1989 into a small apartment that my parents owned, someone gave me the phone number of legendary photographer Harvdev Singh. I pursued him for months before he took me on as an apprentice. That was the beginning of my journey in the world of photography.

SR- You have been an inspiration to a lot of budding photographer, how do you go about finalizing your shoot from theme selection to post production?

TK- I am of the opinion that teaching is learning twice. My studio has served as a place where one can learn the nuances of photography hands on. It’s my personal belief that it offers a learning opportunity that is superior to what is offered at many schools. Today, many of my assistants have gone on to become successful photographers themselves. With the exposure one gains here, one is capable of stepping in the professional world independently.

Coming to the second part regarding the shoot, theme selection and post production, well I generally go with the flow and there isn’t much preparation besides a few basic things like selection of models, location and may be the time of the day when I want to shoot. I always like to bring in an element of surprise on the day of the shoot. Each day is fresh and new and I like to keep experimenting.

SR- What are the fundamental changes that you think have happened in fashion photography in India, say in last five years?

TK- Photographic practices have gone through great changes over the course of the last five years. The shift in the commercial industry from film to digital has been the greatest. The technological changes have only changed the means through which one’s vision is realized. Being a quick learner, I adopted the digital technology without much effort. However, if one were a slave of technology the changes would have had a great impact. It has allowed people to put their creative vision on paper. The technology has made shooting quicker; also advertising work has become safer as the clients get to see the results instantly. However the time invested in post-production has gone up considerably.

SR- Are you more of an outdoor photographer or you like it indoors more?

TK- I am comfortable shooting in both environments and both come with its sets of challenges. Though the studio is a controlled environment, it can be restrictive at times and requires one to work harder to create a story that is new and interesting. Some of my most appreciated work has been the ones that were shot in studio with the most basic and simple approach. Given that in a studio, everything is created from scratch, it is more challenging then shooting on location where the location as it is, compliments the feature. A white wall in a studio or a fantastic location…would depend entirely on the subject as they can both compliment the story.

SR- Your client list keep increasing everyday with leading fashion houses to top celebrities. They all seem to be in love with you?

TK- I began my career as a portrait photographer, with time my work evolved, and today my time is spent making fashion imagery and films of different genres. It is very encouraging to see my work being appreciated. The experience of working and sharing ideas with like-minded stalwarts of the industry is exhilarating. I thoroughly enjoy my work; from shooting to sharing experiences with people from different walks of life.

SR- How important are colors to portray the real sense of an image?

TK- Colors do play an important part in portraying the real sense of an image but something that I personally feel which is more important than color is the energy around people when I am shooting. Color is something, which has never restricted me from creating a photograph; lack of energy is more restrictive.

SR- If you had to pick one fashion brand (or designer) and one celebrity that you think best suit your style of clicks, who would that be and why?

TK- It would be difficult to point out an individual fashion brand or celebrity who suits my style. In this ever-evolving world nothing remains stagnant. Everyday is a fresh learning curve for me and I carry forward my experiences each day, good or bad. My style too, hence, is always evolving and to categorize any individual in it would be difficult

She is tall, tanned and a personality that can easily tame anybody. Take a closer look at her and that would make you swear upon her striking resemblance with the American super model/ actress; Halle Berry!

Pooja Pradaan, a Mumbai based model, who has sizzled on ramps for all the leading designers in India and few International ones too, got involved in a candid chat with us and talked about her one way traffic journey towards; success…

SR- How did modeling begin for you?
PP – It started as an amateur in college, participating in Inter College Fashion Shows and that’s where the bug hit me. I participated in a beauty pageant and I knew that this is all that I wanted to be!!

SR- What was your first assignment and how was the experience attached to it?
PP- My first assignment was what I always wanted; a ramp show. The aura, that ramps have got attached with them, the music, the ambience, they give me the feeling of life alive.

SR- You have walked in almost all the fashion weeks, how do you see FW ramp different to any other Individual show(s)?
PP- Huge!! There is a huge difference between the two. Fashion weeks are like a week-long celebration of everything and anything attached to fashion. Not to mention, that it provides the industry with trade opportunities and models get a chance to hit the fame. Whereas, individual shows are smaller affairs and at times the audience that it attracts might not consist of real fashionistas. Nevertheless we as a model put in the same effort for both and at the same time have some good fun.

SR- Who are your favorite designers pick one from India and one from international forum? 

PP- Well, it’s a tough call. I have had such wonderful experience with so many of them so picking one is like finding a needle in dry grass. However, the best of the lot for me would be a tie between Rocky S and Wendell Rodricks from India. From the international arena I love the collections from Roberto Cavalli.

SR- As a model, what are the various means that keep you in shape and how difficult it is to be time bound with it?
PP- Unlike the notion, which people have that maintaining one is a real tough ask, I would say there is only one simple mantra to it i.e. a disciplined lifestyle. I love playing different sports and make it a point that I hit the gym regularly and eat only quality food.

SR- Any designer you haven’t worked yet and are on the wish list?
PP- I so wished you ask me this question. I am still waiting for a chance to materialize to be able to work with Wendell Rodricks and Roberto Cavalli. I think they make excellent women’s wear collections and any girl would feel like a sex goddess wearing their outfits.

SR- There has been a change of guards in modeling with transsexuals getting to run that extra mile. How do you take this new competition in your stride?
PP- Frankly speaking I don’t even think about it. There is a scope for everyone and people can only get their share of work, so no point taking unnecessary headaches. If you suit a particular project, people will contact you and would want to work with you.

SR- There is always a talk of favoritism from designers and choreographer. Do you think it happens for real?
PP- Let me, put it this way, to get the best results the team members involved has to be comfortable with each other and share good chemistry. When you gel well with any model, or a choreographer or a designer you tend to understand the work expectation level better and work accordingly, eventually what matters is quality work. Period!

SR- What as per you are the requisites to be a super model? And what do you think is the reason behind India having witnessed only few?
PP- Right attitude towards anything you do is a very basic requisite. I think most of the Indian models lack the body structure to fit into all the type of garments, hence forth, they become typed. A mannequin body with an interesting face complemented with good height is what it takes to be the ‘one for all’ model.

At first sight, Rishi Taneja looks no more than a young boy who is on a quest to finding his own-self. However, when you start talking to him, his knowledge about different forms of art, Indian fashion, and documentaries can leave you dumb-struck!

Silently observing that, we thought of not touching his intellectual side, which might have left us in an embarrassing state and concentrated only on what we had planned to talk about i.e. his photography!

SV: Did you always wanted to be a photographer?
RT: It wasn’t much of a want, but a need! I knew I needed to express myself with art. I have experience in many art forms including sculpting, painting, designing clothing etc, but photography is what I found my heart in.

SV: What are the best memories from Cambridge university days?
RT: I remember the first day I arrived in the UK and taking a nap early in the evening. I woke up at 10:30, greeted by bright sun, which people had told me is a rare sight there. I reckoned I had slept all night long and it was time for college. I got dressed, picked up my bags and moved out, only to be stopped by the receptionist of my residence to tell me it was 10:30 PM!

I was too embarrassed to question about why was it sunny, if it was night? For hours I thought I was going mad! Finally Googled it to know that it does stay bight till late in the summers of London. So that was my first day, an eighteen or so boy from India, alone in UK, under bright NIGHT! Now when I think of it, I find it ridiculously funny (smiles).

SV: How influential has it been on your career?
RT: Studying in the UK was enriching on many levels. Not only did it offer exceptional education, but also an amazing personal experience of living with people from different walks of life, with different beliefs and knowledge. It helped me grow my sensibility and i learnt to accept different ideas and thoughts that may not be ideal for me as an individual.

I have grown to understand different perspectives. Fashion in design form in india is not as mature as it is in Europe, so to gain that understanding from hundreds of years ago compared to as little as 30 years in india has been very helpful.

SV:  How do you go about finalizing your shoot from theme selection to post production?
RT: Well that depends entirely on what the purpose of the shoot is! For example, if I am hired to click an editorial for a fashion magazine, I would meet with the team who would be contributing to the shoot including the make-up artist, stylist, hair designer, the models and my lighting team. All ideas would be put forward and we’d come up with one combined concept that would be exciting for everyone to work with.

Also depending on the publication, things change too, like for Vogue, which is more fashion centric, the work process would be very different to what I would have to do for Harpers Bazaar, which is more style oriented and Cosmopolitan that follows the rules of lifestyle more. It is important to understand the sensibility of the publication before you decide to plan the shoot for them.

SV: What are the fundamental changes that you think have happened in fashion photography in India, say in last five years?
RT: Our country is growing incredibly fast, in all areas. Less than two decades ago, we didn’t have a panel to judge anyone in fashion. Anyone who could afford to hire tailors could be a fashion designer. But now, it’s very different. There is competition, there is growth and there is opportunity.

India now is seen as a serious fashion source. So to accommodate to all this growth, there is an immense lifting in the aesthetics in photography too. There is absolutely no space for the mediocrity anymore. We now have the photographers who are aware of their strengths, for example Tarun Vishwa is incredible with studio lighting, Anushka Menon is phenomenal with the beauty portraits, late Mr. Prabuddha Das Gupta has done some exceptional works in black and white photography etc. So I think, we’ve come to a deeper understanding of aesthetic that wasn’t really there a few years ago.

SV: Are you more of an outdoor photographer or you like it indoors?
RT: I personally feel a lot more in control if I am photographing within a studio, as that gives me more control over the lighting and the reflections that comes from those lights. So I personally like to photograph within rooms, but don’t usually restrict myself a lot. If the concept of the shoot calls for an outdoor location, I go for it!

SV: Your client list keep increasing everyday with leading fashion houses to top celebrities. They all seem to be in love with you?
RT: I feel extremely blessed to have worked with the most amazing people in the industry. There is an extreme sense of personal bonding with my teams that I have worked with.

My first magazine cover was with FNL magazine many years ago, Mridula Sharma used to be the editor of the magazine than. Since FNL, Mridula and I haven’t really worked a lot together, but there is such a love, that stays! We are always equally excited to see each other as we did during the shoots with FNL.

So I guess that is something that I haven’t worked on creating, it just so happened to have met like-minded people. Also when it comes to work, I try and accommodate ideas from the entire team. The reason we all are a team is because we all love doing what we do, so to dismiss any idea, small or big is to take away joy from someone who is doing this with passion. At the end of the day, we all want to be excited and proud of what we do.

SV: How important are colors to portray the real sense of an image?
RT: The difference between the black and white photography and the colour photography is extreme, but fragile. It is very important to know how to deal with both forms if you do intend to work with both. Each colour offers a balance and a misbalance, monotony or breaking of that monotony. So depending on the portrayal, it is extremely important to place your colours at the right spots and in case of black and grey photography, it is important to balance the tones correctly.

SV: If you had to pick one fashion brand (or designer) and one celebrity that you think best suit your style of clicks, who would that be and why?
RT: I LOVE am;pm’s clothing. Priyanka and Ankur are a joy to work with and I understand their sensibility of fashion. The clean lines, the geometric patterns and the flow of their work are incredible.

I also love to shoot for Amit Aggarwal’s clothing for his strong sense of structure and bold shapes!

SV: What does future hold?
RT: I am not very fore-sighted! I am more spontaneous and experimental. But I do see my heart getting more pleasure from the documentary and life study photography works. So I hope to experiment with life study and realism in black and grey photography.

First Crush- A short brown boy, who i eventually realized is an ass**** lol

Camera – Polaroids and Nikon

A face I would like to shoot everyday – Lakshmi Menon.

Best location at work work – London and Venice.

Words: Sandeep Verma
Images courtesy: Rishi Taneja